Clearly not a company to rush into things, Philips has finally put the healthy lifestyle products it announced in September last year on sale. The hardware is a step beyond the usual fitness fare we see, designed with the assistance of medical experts to help people who’re considered at risk from chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancer.
At the center is Philips HealthSuite platform, on which apps are built that can share data with healthcare professionals. There are five devices that send data to it: A watch, a set of scales, an ear thermometer, and a pair of blood pressure monitors. While we were introduced to the range last year, the price and availability of each one wasn’t revealed. They are all made to work together, providing plenty of data to track how lifestyle changes affect your body, and motivational advice and guidance through the app.
It’s Philips health watch that will attract the admiring glances. It’s not incredibly flashy, but does have a sleek black finish, a circular face, and a subtle monochrome display. Wear it 24-hours a day and it will track your steps, activity, heart rate, and sleep. Despite the heart rate monitoring feature, Philips says the battery should last for around four days, and 70 percent battery capacity can be reached with 30 minutes of charge.
The water resistant body is made from stainless steel, there’s a sheet of Gorilla Glass over the screen, and the bezel is touch sensitive to change the settings. It doesn’t need too much attention either, entering sleep mode automatically, and recognising when you’re walking, running, or cycling. It’s not cheap though. You’ll need to spend $250 to put this watch on your wrist, which is around $100 more than the Withings Activité Pop, but less than the steel Activité.
While the watch is for all-day tracking, Philips other connected devices are for measuring specific aspects of your health. The body analysis scale will tell your weight, body mass index, and body fat count. It comes in black or white for $100. The ear thermometer, shockingly, tells your body temperature in a very rapid two seconds, and costs $60. Finally, there’s a choice of upper arm or wrist-mounted blood pressure monitors. The upper arm model is slightly more expensive at $100, while the wrist version is $90. If you’re in the U.K. the prices are very similar, just with a pound sign in front of them. The watch is 250 British pounds, the scales 90 British pounds, and the two blood pressure monitors 90 and 70 British pounds respectively. The ear thermometer isn’t listed on the Philips UK website yet.
Philips says all its hardware, along with the companion app, are made to help us make the small but essential changes to our lives that improve our health. Most importantly, it talks about motivating us with specially designed programs to continue improving. Philips healthcare products are available from August 1 through its own website and Amazon.